Break
by Ignira of Esperon
Summary: As he attends Karst's funeral, Felix reflects on his history with Karst and his first visit to Prox. Duskshipping, but not too much fluff, if any.
1. Chapter 1

IOE: Hey, everyone! Ugh, I wrote this over Christmas break and left it until now for muuuch revising. Which I have done. This is just gonna be a one-shot of Duskshipping because I find FelixKarst a sexy pairing. Even the word is sexy: 'Dusk'. Don't worry; I hate things that are over-the-top, so there will be no use of the l-word, no…well, no fluff in general. You'll also notice I took some liberties with Felix's 3-year absence from Vale. Oh, and I feel like I have to say this because I'm still an amateur and therefore readers don't trust me: THIS IS NOT A KARST-SUE. Enjoy!  
Disclaimer: I do not own Golden Sun.

The soil had been frozen beneath the snow. And in that soil, they'd dug a hole. The ground did not want to be disturbed, but they'd disturbed it anyhow. A gaping, six feet deep depression was forced in the earth. And now the whole village was gathered around to put something precious inside it, then repair the hole.  
It was snowing heavily. It was a little hard to make out the coffin. He could tell that it was made of dark wood from the trees that grew in this climate. Something was carved on it. He squinted. A phoenix. It was almost _cliché _for the Fire Clan to put images of phoenixes on the coffins of the departed. The fiery bird's wings were outspread, and its beak, attached to an austere, eagle-like head, opened to release an unheard cry The carving was meant to make death seem glorious. Felix did not agree with the Proxian view of death.  
Murmurs from the Proxians near him enveloped his ears. His ears perked. He was certain he heard his name. He heard it again, a little louder this time, and turned to see Puelle behind. He was wearing a hood to protect his red hair from the snow and to warm his pointed ears. His expression was even stonier than usual, but that was not strange, considering the village was having a burial.  
"It was good of you to come," Puelle's low voice rumbled.  
How could he not? He very much hadn't wanted to, but all the same….  
The Proxian's red eyes searched around Felix, but they both knew no one else from Felix's group had come.  
"Is it just you?" Puelle asked quietly, politely.  
"I asked them not to come," Felix replied. He knew the only reason they'd wanted to come was because he was going. Why else would they attend the funeral of an enemy?  
Puelle gave him that look people usually gave Felix whenever they suspected him of being, as Jenna put it, a "Drama Queen". Felix did not care. They waited for each other to say something, but neither one spoke, so Puelle nodded to Felix and made his way over to the elder, who stood nearby.  
Felix's eyes wandered to the coffin. Inside that dark, wooden box were some belongings to represent the deceased. It felt so wrong to use that word for her, deceased. What would you call it then, he wondered.

Originally, he had decided that he was not going to come. In the first place, Felix had never wanted to come back to Prox ever again. Yet here he was.

Cold reality was pressing on his brain. She would never open her eyes again. He would never hear her voice say his name ever again. What was left lingered in that coffin and in his memories. He felt bitter. Usually, they say someone's not really gone as long as you remember. To Felix, that was just as delusional as the Proxians' glorious portrayal of death. He didn't want someone to tell him lies to ease the pain he was feeling. Suddenly, Felix wanted very much to leave the funeral, to leave Prox, to go anywhere else. He took a breath, and started walking away. He felt some people's eyes on him. He did not care.  
He hated himself. This was all wrong. He was filled with anger at the Wise One. It must've been because he'd put Karst and Agatio through all of that Psynergetic alteration. His parents would have shared the same fate if Mars Lighthouse had not been lit so soon after their defeat. Felix knew he'd already beaten himself up enough about not knowing it was Karst he'd been fighting, about not lighting the lighthouse sooner, and it was no use after everything had become part of the past. But all the same…. She'd promised she'd live. She'd promised, and why did she have to die when everyone else came back?  
"It's bullshit," he muttered more ferociously than he'd meant to. His feet were making tracks in the snow towards the house on the hill where he'd lived years ago. He kept his eyes fixed on it. The flurries of snow kept trying to hide it.

**Flashback:**  
Felix was fifteen. He was sitting in the snow, leaning his back on the house. This was what he did most days. He would rest behind the house and think for hours.  
He would think about how hard it had been raining on that day, so long ago. He would remember his parents leaning as far over the water as they dared, desperately reaching for his outstretched hand. He'd hated his arms for being so short. He would think about the sudden rumbling that, as it turned out, had not been thunder, but worse. He would remember everything going black, before a wild, inhuman scream in his head could leave his lips. Felix would feel his chest squeezing itself too tight as the image of the looming rock appeared in his mind, the rock which closed in on everything, crushing the world as he had known it. He would remember waking up and discovering that, despite having died (or so he'd thought) he was not in heaven or hell, and then wondering if they even existed. Felix would then recall, bitterly, a very long walk across Angara as a prisoner. At these recollections, he would surrender to his urges to damage something, usually by punching a tree or the frozen ground until he grew weary of the catharsis.  
He would remember the feeling of powerlessness you have when your parents, the people you see as the most powerful in the world, are kidnapped, just like you. This feeling was much, much worse. The words 'it'll be okay' eventually came to mean absolutely nothing to Felix.

He'd been in Prox a week and already he took a liking to the climate. It was as cold as he felt inside. He felt a hot anger towards everyone; his parents, those Proxian bastards, and, deep down, himself. The numbing cold winds and ice gave him a savage pleasure. These elements gave him the feeling that he could feel this way forever, if he wanted to.  
"So!" a voice rang out. He was so startled that he'd jumped and hit the back of his head on the cold stone behind him. Rubbing his head, he looked to see one of them. It was a girl. She was about his age. She was probably his height, too. She was dressed in fur. Her features were fine, with a little mouth and two little rose-colored eyes. Her skin was very pale, with a slight pink tinge to it. The girl snickered at his startled reaction. Pointed ears poked out from her long, magenta hair. He hated her on sight.  
"You're the boy, then? They said there was a boy. Must be you," she said. The girl spoke with the same accent that Saturos and Menardi had. For some reason, she never said her 'th's quite right. Her voice was low, and a little husky. He hated the way she looked at him. It was a sort of condescending curiosity.  
She walked closer. He hated the smooth strides she took to walk; they immediately gave her the appearance of arrogance. She stood over him. He immediately felt reviled by her presence. He prepared himself to hear some manner of taunts akin to Menardi's.  
"What are you doing?" she asked, starting to lower herself.  
"Please don't sit down," Felix said bluntly. She blinked at him, and it reminded him of the occasional times when stray kittens would try to come into the house after a little food or petting. They would promptly sit in place once the door was closed, and blink at you, hoping that you weren't rejecting them.  
"OK, then," she said, shrugging. She leaned against the wall of the house. Felix was irritated that she didn't leave. The girl wasn't getting the message. Or perhaps she didn't care.  
"I don't want to tell you. Kindly piss off," Felix said blandly. The girl raised an eyebrow. She seemed to be wondering if he was joking, and if not, considering what to do in response. She certainly didn't seem afraid of him enough to do as he asked, anyway. The girl then sat down next to him. Her pointy-eared presence filled him with so much fury that he got up and walked away without a word, leaving her alone in the snow. He could feel nothing but anger at the bastards who'd captured him and his family. As he continued, he dared not look back at her, but listened for the snow crunching behind him. He was pleased that he heard none; she wasn't following him.

**Present:**

_This is stupid_ he thought. He was about halfway across the bridge and felt like an idiot. He paused. Then he heard Puelle call his name. He turned to see that the Mars Adept had followed him.  
"What are you doing?" Puelle asked. Felix was starting to ask himself the same question. Why was he being so emotional now? Karst had been dead for weeks; he knew that. Did it make that much of a difference burying a box that just contained some of her belongings? He remembered people listing some of the things that were in there. Dolls from her childhood, some armor, her first staff, some jewelry. How much of that actually represented Karst? None of the books about Alchemy she poured over. Her favorite weapon wasn't in that box. It was almost insulting that they had to bury a warrior with just her fur pads, some toys, a stick, and some beads.  
"I'll be back in a moment, Puelle," said Felix, "I just need a minute to think alone."  
Puelle looked as if he was about to say something, but seemed to think better of it for some reason and walked back to the funeral. Felix had to clench his hands into fists to keep them from shaking. He hated the way he was feeling inside. He hated that he was here. He hated that she hadn't done as she'd promised.

**Flashback:**  
He worried that if he returned to his spot behind the house, the girl might find him again. He decided to take a walk and continue his thoughts, but where to go? He'd be damned if he had to walk through the village and take in the sight of any more Proxians. Also, he'd rather risk escaping than spend any more time with his parents or Kyle than he had to. He barely spoke to any of them. He took savage pleasure in the shocked and hurt looks in his parents' eyes at his coldness and hostility towards them.  
Felix thought. He was pretty curious about the giant tower to the north. It looked rather like the one he'd seen in Angara before Saturos and Menardi had forced him onto their ship. Anyway, he was pretty sure that his house was the northernmost one of the village, so he wouldn't have to run into any more Proxians in order to reach the tower. Therefore, his idea seemed even better. Before leaving the house, he paused. Felix had no protection in case he ran into wild animals. He wished to Sol he knew which type of Adept he was, that way it would be much easier to protect himself. Yet Felix had yet to Cast, much to his own disappointment. Perhaps...perhaps if he could've Cast, he and his parents might've been able to escape... Felix pushed this thought out of his mind and searched the house, but in vain, for the most dangerous thing in the house that he could find was an old wooden staff behind a few crates in the basement. He wasn't sure if it was even a weapon; it might've been a broken broom once, but it was too old too tell. Felix took it anyway, though he had no idea how to use a staff, and grabbed the sharpest knife in the kitchen that he could find. With that, he was off.  
On his way across the bridge, he heard a voice calling after him.  
"Hey, hey!"  
He knew it was the girl. Feigning deafness, he continued on across the bridge. The bitch ran after him, however, and yanked on the back of his collar.  
"It's dangerous out there, you know. Not a good idea to go alone," she said. He shook her hand off him and told her to piss off again. She frowned in a rather bored fashion.  
"All I'm doing is looking out for you, you stupid prick. Lighten up," she said.  
He continued on his way on the northern path.  
"You're going to check out the lighthouse, aren't you? You know you can't get in unless you're a member of the Fire Clan, right?" she called after him. He hoped she was lying. He was glad to hear that she wasn't following.  
"…or if you have one with you? Like me, for instance?" her low voice almost crooned.  
Felix said nothing, and left her. He assumed she watched him go, as he heard no footsteps behind him. He'd rather be ravaged by whatever monsters were out there than spend any more time than he had to with a Proxian, especially this one.  
For the next few days, he would walk around the frozen plains, exploring and thinking, hiding from the biggest bugbears he'd ever seen, and then he would proceed to the exterior of the lighthouse, as the girl had called it, and try to find a way in. So far, no luck. The door would not budge for him, and it seemed to be the only way inside. The bitch had been right about needing a member of the Fire Clan.  
Time seemed to pass slowly. Felix was sitting on one of the steps outside the lighthouse, brooding as usual.  
_I could be like this for months. Years, if I want to. I can be cold…forever._ He could venture out into the ice and wind and think for hours. He could avoid all human contact; his parents, the Proxians, everyone. He wanted to hold on to his hatred forever. It would be better this way, being numb. Felix felt content. The cold made him sleepy. It was bitterly cold; he liked that. He was almost certain that if he fell asleep right here, he could sleep forever in a cold, wakeless sleep, happily isolated from the rest of the world. It was at that moment that Felix realized he actually wanted to die, and that he could, right now. Numbly, he curled up on the step, closed his eyes, and began to fall asleep. He would let the cold take him while he slept. It would be so nice this way….  
_  
"Felix…Felix…"  
Someone was calling his name. Where was it coming from? He looked around, but it really was just him. And then, he realized he was not in Prox. He was in Vale. Felix, being in a dream, accepted this change in scenery and wandered around, listening. He was certain it was coming from far away…  
"Felix. Felix. Felix!"  
The growing urgency in the voice filled him with anxiety. He was coming! The person just had to let him find her. He was running now, up the hill. He was getting closer now. His heart was beginning to pound. Why was he running, and yet the hill seeming taller?  
The voice was getting more and more panicked.  
"Hold on! Hold on!" he hollered, "Where are you?" Why was his face suddenly wet? Why was this hill stretching and stretching? Suddenly, he realized somehow that this was the wrong way, and turned and saw a bridge, which he crossed. He followed the voice until he was standing before his grandparents' house, but it was not an old person's voice who was calling for him. It was a girl's voice. He knew this voice. He was panting. Where was she? He wanted to see her. He wanted more than anything to see her again.  
"FELIX! "  
The voice was getting hysterical, mad. Felix burst inside and ran up the stairs to find his sister, Jenna. She was in her bed, asleep. Had she only been calling for him in her sleep? He approached her sleeping form. It'd been so long since he'd seen his baby sister. He stood over her bed. She looked older than he remembered. It scared him. As he went to hug her, she woke and stared at him. He saw that she was crying and realized he was crying, too.  
"Fe-Felix!" she sobbed and screamed. _

_ "We need you! We need you, you unbelievable asshole!" she roared, still crying. Felix opened his mouth to say something, but no words came out. Jenna took a moment to calm down. She reached for his hand. He hesitated. Why was he hesitating? He felt stupid for not immediately grabbing his sister's hand, but as he did, it disappeared, and everything went black.  
Felix felt suffocated in this shadow. He hated it here, he hated it here…  
_ He woke up yelling and crying. His face felt like it was frozen, he was so cold. He realized where we was, and wondered what the hell was wrong with him. He was shivering so bad, he thought he'd throw up. His teeth were chattering. He'd never felt this cold. Felix immediately rose, grabbed his staff and his knife, and ran pell-mell towards Prox and his house with the nice, warm fire. Or at least, he tried to. His limbs were numb, and not moving properly from the cold. It took him some attempts to get at a sort of dizzy walk. It seemed like an eternity before he made it back into Prox. During his journey, Felix felt unbelievably lucky that he wasn't mauled by bugbears. Finally, he was crossing the bridge when he saw the girl skating on the pond below. He paused. He watched her for some time. She made neat little circles with her feet, obviously well-practiced.

Felix still did not like her very much, nor her village. Yet, the loneliness of being in a strange village with no contact with the outside world was beginning to make itself known to him. He also considered the fact that this girl had tried twice to make friendly contact with him. He thought for a moment. What should he do? He considered shouting a greeting to her. Perhaps he should just watch and wait for her to notice? And then he decided that these were stupid, that he was very cold, and was in desperate need of a fire. This was true, as Felix had never had such a severe case of shivering in his life. And so, he began to finally make his way to his house again. After a few paces, he thought _To hell with it_, and began to make his way down the hill to the frozen river.

As luck would have it, just as he was at the ice and wondering whether or not he should get on the ice or call to her, the girl was making her way off the river. She saw him standing there, and stopped in mild surprise.

"...Hello," said Felix, feeling his face grow red. Things felt very awkward. The girl nodded in return, and watched him expectantly. Her eyes traveled to his old, battered staff and the kitchen knife he was holding.

"I, uh...was wondering... Well, I was going to ask you if...you would want to..." he couldn't spit it out, as he wasn't sure if it was too late to try and be friendly. The fact that Felix's teeth were chattering madly from the cold did not help at all. What if he was making a fool out of himself, and she was about to mock him? The girl was nodding each time he paused, urging him to finish at least one sentence.

"What are you trying to say?" she asked. Felix took a deep breath. The hair at the back of his head was starting to prickle, and he suddenly realized this seemed horrifyingly similar to asking a girl for a date. This made him feel even more awkward, and he prayed very fervently to Sol that she did not think this was what he was doing. Later, he would realize that was a stupid thought, and why would she ever think that? It then occurred to him that he had never asked a girl on a date. Felix then wanted to kill himself for embarrassing himself and thinking all of these irrelevant thoughts, which carried on a silence between him and the girl. He finally took a deep breath. Enough of this.  
"Tomorrow, do you want to go to the lighthouse?" he asked, sounding much more normal and relaxed than he had a minute ago.  
The girl seemed to consider him for a moment. Felix wondered if she had been wondering if he was mocking her. Finally, she nodded.

"Okay," said Felix, and he then nodded to her, a nod which she returned, and began sauntering to his house.  
Felix spent the rest of the day thawing by the fire and awkwardly trying to communicate with his parents. Things started slowly, hesitantly at first, but soon they were on a steady conversation. His parents seemed so relieved that he was talking to him again that Felix felt a deep surge of guilt.

That night, as Felix lay awake at night in bed, he tried for the first time since he'd been captured not to remember all that he had been through and not to wonder what Jenna was doing now. He tried not to think at all.

IOE: Well, as is usually the case with projects, this did not turn out exactly as I'd planned. In fact, much editing did I do today on this. I didn't want it to be a multi-chapter thing, but I see now that it is my only option. I'm so glad I got most of Felix's adolescent angst out of the way. Angst is annoying, particularly teenaged, self-pitying angst. Every time I had to go over Felix's teen angst scenes, I wanted to throw something because it made me hate him. Anyway, I'd really appreciate it if you reviewed and kept reading!


	2. Chapter 2

IOE: Ohhh I am SO mad that I had to delete and upload the first chapter a couple of times in order to have the text come out the way I wanted! For some reason, it was all blocky and bold in odd places. Thank you, **Caellach Tiger Eye**, for your review. I hope fanfiction didn't delete my reply after I deleted the story to fix the first chapter...If it did, please message me and I will respond to what I can remember you wrote. **Trauerbrandung **, thank you so much for the encouragement and the review. I'm really relieved that Felix and Karst's characters make sense. I also promise things will become more romantic as the story progresses. Duskshipping is just a sexy pairing, even the word "dusk." 

Oh, and if anyone's wondering, I put Karst in fur for a motif, but I feel like most people in Prox wear fur anyway because there's not much material you can use in that climate to make clothes other than fur. Anyway,

Disclaimer: I, the author of this fanfiction, do not own Golden Sun.

Felix rose the next morning earlier than anyone in the house. Seeing this as an opportunity to do something nice for his parents, Felix brought the fire in the fireplace back to life with the extra wood sitting by the window. He then tiptoed over to the kitchen stove and proceeded to prepare some deer meat for everyone's breakfast as quietly as he could. He was certain he'd overcooked the meat, which, as he remembered from the previous day, was already of very poor quality. He hadn't expected better, as the village of Prox seemed to be a poor village, and anyway, he reasoned, why keep your captives well fed? Yes, the woman who had come to settle them into the house...Helpha, or something, had told them that each week, enough food to last the week would be delivered to them.

Once everything was set, Felix heard stirring from the beds behind him, and for some reason, felt a strange surge of panic. He didn't understand why he suddenly wanted to leave and let the adults eat their breakfast without him. How could he try to forge a better connection with them again if he was running from a simple meal together? Felix forced himself to sit on the floor (there were only two stools) and began his attempts to eat the awful breakfast. It was chewy, and the parts that weren't burned tasted like the meat was very old. Behind him, he heard someone sit up, yawn, and begin to get out of bed. He waited.

A hand gently stroked his hair.

"Felix," said his mother's soft, drowsy voice, "You made breakfast?"

Felix nodded. His mother took the stool to his left, and inspected her plate. Felix held his breath. His mother laughed.

"Well, you tried," she said, holding up the burnt meat. Felix couldn't help but smile.

After a minute or two of chewing, Felix's mother asked him what he had been doing for the past few days.

"You'd been so moody, so we didn't want to bother you," she said. Felix took a break from trying to swallow his food. He felt much self-hatred for the way he'd been acting over the past few days.

"I mostly brooded behind the house or chopped wood. The other day, I went for a walk in the ice, which was none too pleasant," he told her.

His mother hesitated, then gently stroked his hand and said, very quietly:

"Felix, we should really try to stick together as a group. We're in this...situation...together, and it's best if we-"

At this moment, Felix heard stirring behind him. His mother looked to her bed. Felix felt a wave of relief at his mother being distracted.

"Ah, your father's getting up," she said, and wished her husband good morning. He grunted something in reply, and yawned.

Felix's mother got up and used Psynergy to make the fire bigger. Felix felt a pang of envy. As she came back, Felix's mother asked him if he'd cooked the rest of their supply of meat. Felix nodded.

"I'd better get dressed and go ask for more," she said, and somehow managed to finish her meat briskly before heading down to the basement to change. At this moment, Felix's father joined him at the table.

"I see you've inherited my cooking skills," his father chortled as he sat in the stool across from Felix.

Felix shrugged, then considered just finishing what he could of his breakfast and ending it already.

"So, what are your plans for the day, son? Brooding, as I heard you tell your mother?" Felix's father asked him after a few bites.

Suddenly, Felix remembered his arrangements with girl from yesterday. He wasn't sure right away exactly what to say, so he decided to shove some food in his mouth in order to buy some time. When he finished chewing, he asked:

"Actually, do you know that tower, to the north of here?"

His father nodded with interest.

"It's a lighthouse, apparently, and, uh...I was going to have a look," Felix said slowly. Felix was beginning to have second thoughts about the girl. He knew for certain, however, that he could not tell his parents.

"Oh. Sounds interesting," said his father, who reached for his breakfast, then seemed to think better of it, and said:

"May I…join you?"

Felix reached in his mind for a reasonable excuse. Not being able to think of one quickly enough, he said:

"Would you mind if I went by myself?"

"Felix, you'll need protection in the wilderness," said his father. Felix grew very tense at this. What sort of protection could his father provide when Felix had seen Saturos finish him with just one Cast? Felix could never again see his father in the same light as he had before the day of the storm in Vale. The resentment Felix had thought dissipated since yesterday was now returning.

"I went alone yesterday, and I was fine. Father, I would rather not have you accompany me," Felix managed to keep his voice from being raised.

It was now that he realized that several months ago, in Vale, if his father had offered to join him, Felix would have been glad. Felix would never have said no. Felix was never angry with his father. The change in his feelings and behavior was beginning to make itself fully realized. Felix looked at his father's face across the table, and somehow he knew his father was thinking the same.

The atmosphere was suddenly suffocating. Felix forced himself to briskly finish his breakfast and take care of the dishes. While in this area of the kitchen, he made sure his father wasn't looking as he grabbed the large kitchen knife. He then went in the basement and donned some of the thick coats the village had given him. They were made of fur, and, though warm, they certainly did not fit. It seemed that these coats were made for someone much larger than Felix, so he did his best to wrap the material closely around him. Felix then grabbed the old staff from yesterday, bid his parents good-bye, and went outside.

By this point, he had made his mind up to make his way to the lighthouse without the girl. He would then hide if he saw her coming to look for him. If they ran into each other, he would pretend he had forgotten about yesterday.

His rage was building. Why had he decided to let that girl take him to Mars lighthouse? All of the villagers knew that Felix, his parents, and Kyle were not here by choice. Giving them a house and meat did not make them less guilty. It only made the villagers_ feel_ less guilty. The girl was just as guilty as the rest of her village, though admittedly, not as bad as Saturos.

By this time, Felix was halfway across the bridge. He stopped dead. On the other side of the bridge was the girl. She was dressed in white fur, which would've made her blend in very well with the snow if it weren't for her magenta hair. She carried an ornate, dark wooden staff. Felix could see the staff was carved to have many places to grip on it. The girl did not see him, as she was facing north and concentrating, her eyes closed and her brow furrowed. Felix could see a swirling, blue aura around her. Felix watched with interest.

"Fume," she purred, and Felix watched a plume of flames erupt from the girl, make an arc in the air, and shoot into the ground. Melted snow splashed from where the flames hit. The envy from watching his mother light the fireplace earlier returned. So, the girl could Cast and he, Felix could not.

It was at this moment when the girl noticed him. She smiled.

"That wasn't that long of a wait," she said.

Felix stood still, wondering exactly what he should tell her.

"You should really burn that thing. It looks too old to be of anymore use than firewood," the girl said, pointing to Felix's staff. Felix said nothing.

"Why are you still standing there? Come here, I brought you a staff," she said, and reached into the snow to pull out a beautiful, dark wooden staff with an egg-sized amber rock fitted into the top. Again, Felix said nothing, but made his way across the bridge.  
"Before we go, my name is Karst," she said.  
"Oh," said Felix.  
"And apparently, you are Felix," she said. Karst held out the gorgeous staff for him. Felix reached for it, longing to stroke it, but then he stopped. Karst raised an eyebrow.

"Karst," said Felix, "Do you know why I am here?"

Karst looked him in the eyes.

"You are here because my people are trying to save our village," she said evenly.

He wanted to turn and go back to the house, maybe return to his little spot behind the house, but he didn't.

"What are you talking about?" he asked her. Karst looked very surprised.

"You mean you don't know? Your village's elders never even told you? _Menardi_ never told you?" she asked him.

"What are you talking about?" Felix repeated.

For a long minute, Karst gaped at him. She seemed completely at a loss. Felix didn't understand why. What was so astounding? What did he not know? Finally, she seemed to make up her mind.

"I think you should follow me, then," she said, and began walking away. Felix hesitated, then followed.

They headed south through the village. Felix felt nervous. He could feel the villagers' eyes on him. He kept his gaze fixed on Karst. He didn't understand why she looked so serious. After a while, Felix thought they were going to leave Prox, but Karst stopped at the very last house. It was probably the smallest one in the village.

"This is my house," she said, and she pushed open the door. Felix followed her inside.

It was dark, as the fireplace was unlit. Karst set down the staffs she was carrying and approached the little fireplace in the corner. She Cast Fume. Now that the room was illuminated, Felix could see an old carpet with little dragons embroidered in it on the floor. There were four chairs on top of the carpet. A bed was in the corner opposite the fireplace. A table was leaned against the wall. Felix was pretty sure the table was only brought down for meals.

"It's small, but we manage," said Karst, not meeting his eye.

"Why did you bring me here?" Felix asked.

Karst did not reply. She approached the bed, got on the floor, and reached an arm under it. She felt around until she pulled out a very old-looking book. Karst held it out for him to see. It was large, and very heavy. It smelled like dust. It was made of very old leather, which had been dyed green. The cover was torn in places. Karst wiped the thick coating of dust she'd accumulated from under the bed onto her fur boots.

Karst sat on the bed and motioned for him to sit next to her. He did so, and she carefully began turning pages. Felix could see pages of writing. He recognized the calligraphy from some of the texts Kraden had shown him in Vale, but not the language. On some pages were illustrations of odd, spiny creatures, and on others were drawn maps of places Felix didn't recognize at all.

"I borrow books from Puelle all the time," said Karst. She finally stopped turning pages. Felix looked. There was an illustration which took up both pages. There were four towers, one in each corner. Felix recognized two of them. One was the golden and green tower Felix had passed with Saturos and Menardi before getting on their boat. The other was the tower to the north of Prox. A light glimmered from the top of eachof the four towers. In the center of the drawing was a mountain. Felix recognized it; it was unmistakably Mount Aleph. Four orbs of light surrounded the mountain.

His curiosity, however, was overruled by his persistence to accuse her. He gently grabbed her shoulder and had her look him in the eye.

"Karst, do you know that my family and I are not here by our own free will?" he asked her firmly.

For a moment, Karst hesitated.

"Yes," she admitted, and it seemed like the normally confident way she held herself dissipated.

She waited, probably seeming to think that he would respond, but he did not. Felix wanted her to continue, to realize she could not allow people to be held hostage in her village just because of an old book. He wanted her to admit her guilt.

"Felix," she said, her voice suddenly hoarse, "None of us wanted you to be taken from your homes."

He could have laughed at her, at her ridiculous excuse. Yet he heard in her voice deep shame and vulnerability, enough that he could not bring himself to hate her.

"Then why don't you let us go?" he whispered.

Karst looked away from him and down to the book's page. He wanted to slam it shut. She took a deep breath.

"Saturos…seems to think that if we have some of Vale's people as captives, your elders will be more willing to give us the elemental stars," she said hollowly. Felix had heard Saturos and Menardi use the phrase "elemental stars" before, but he did not know what they had meant. Karst looked completely ashamed.

In spite of feeling sympathy, Felix became so angry that he couldn't look at her. He stood up and started walking away from the bed, shaking with rage.

"Felix—" Karst started to say, but he wouldn't listen. Her words echoed in his head, pulsated. His heart was racing.

He cursed Saturos's name in the worst way he knew how and punched the wall of the house. White hot pain shot up his arm from hitting solid wood so hard.

"Felix, you have to listen to me." Karst was more firm. Felix rounded on her.

"Vale's elders have taken oaths to never, under _any circumstances_, abandon their duty to protect Sol Sanctum," he seethed, "The man with us, Kyle, is _a father __and a__ husband__ and a good man_—"

"Felix, you—"

"KARST, MY SISTER IS JUST A GIRL AND SHE THINKS SHE THINKS HER BROTHER AND HER PARENTS ARE DEAD!" he shouted at her. He had to take a few deep breaths to steady himself.

Karst did not shout back, nor did she shrink from him. Her rose-colored orbs simply accepted what he said.

"I'm sorry," was all she said.

"Is that all you have to say?" he demanded. She shook her head.

"Please come here," she said.

"Why?" he barked.

"I want to explain to you why we traveled all the way to your village and broke into Sol Sanctum. Considering this has happened to you, don't you think you should understand _why _it's happened?" she asked him.

He stood there, wanting to yell at her some more, but now he was looking at the illustration in the book on her lap. He wondered how a book could make villagers kidnap innocent people. Saturos and Menardi were monsters, but Karst was not. If he had ever spoken this way to Saturos, he would have been treated so gently. Most unlike Saturos or Menardi, Karst was willing to tell him everything he wanted to know. In addition, he didn't want to admit it, but Karst made a fair argument. He sat down next to her on the bed.

Karst placed her hand on his shoulder, conveying that she was serious.

"Before I tell you about this book, I just want to tell you this. I want you to know it is not a lie or supposition. It is a fact. Your sister is going to see her family again," she told him. She was very intense. He returned her gaze, and said:

"Tell me what this is about."

Karst let go of his shoulder and looked down at the book.

"Perhaps I should start elsewhere…" she muttered, and set the book aside. She bent over and reached under the bed. Karst then sat up with a smaller but even more ancient-looking book. The pages were almost completely detached from the spine.

"This is a history of my people," explained Karst.

She carefully opened it to the first page. There was a cluster of scrawls of a writing Felix was completely unfamiliar with.

"A very long time ago, several empires ruled Weyard. My village is the last of a very old civilization known as the Fire Clan of the North. There used to be hundreds of people in the Clan. We were one of the most powerful empires in the world. Now, all that's left is just a little village. We're poor, starving, and our numbers are dwindling. Not only us, but the land is dying, too," she said.

"What do you mean? How can land die?" asked Felix.

"I don't think you would understand unless I showed it to you, but that will have to wait. I think I should try to explain everything else first," she replied.

Felix wondered what she could possibly be talking about.

"How acquainted are you with Alchemy?" Karst asked him. Felix then recalled all he could remember from Kraden's lessons, though, admittedly, he had never been as keen on them as Isaac, Garet, and Jenna. By the time he was certain he had told Karst all he knew, she looked astonished. Felix felt a small sense of pride for having impressed her.

"That's all you know?" she asked him, clearly disappointed.

Suddenly, he was very embarrassed. He then began to think very hard-surely he knew more.

"I suppose I assumed your people were as dedicated scholars as Prox, but then…." Karst trailed off and looked at him thoughtfully. He had no idea what he was supposed to do.

"I suppose we're motivated by survival, and your village's ways do seem conservative. Well," she said, but this seemed more to herself.

"What do you mean by survival? What does living in a frozen-" (he stopped himself from saying "wasteland" as his anger towards her had greatly subsided by now) "terrain?" he asked.

Karst bit her lip.

"When you went to the tundra yesterday, did you see what was beyond the lighthouse?" she asked him.

Felix thought.

"…no," he said, "I can't remember going past the lighthouse. Why?"

Karst did not reply at first. She seemed to be thinking. As he was about to ask her "why?" again, she told him to follow her. She immediately started putting the books back under the bed. Felix didn't know what to make of her.

"No," said Felix, "I think you should tell me why my family and I were taken from our home and forced to live here as hostages." He spoke calmly, but firmly.

Karst came back up from under the bed and her rose-colored eyes studied him for a long moment.

"Please come with me, Felix. I really think that if you see what has our people so desperate, you'll understand better," she said steadily. He couldn't help it; he believed her.

"Where are you going to take me?" he asked her as she picked up the staffs from before.

"To Gaia Rift," she said, "And then, because you've been so reasonable with me, I'll take you inside Mars Lighthouse."

Felix could not resist.

"Alright," he said, "Please take me to Gaia Rift."

IOE: Seems I can't keep my promises of eliminating angst, but you must agree he's improving and he's in an awful situation. Man, this story has really changed from what I had 7 months ago. Also, I'd like to date Karst. Just saying. Please review!


	3. Chapter 3

IOE: w00t Chapter Four and we're back to the flashback's storyline, I promise.

Disclaimer: I do not own Golden Sun.

:::

Once they were out of the house, Karst grabbed two logs of firewood from the pile against the side of the house and tucked them under her arm. Felix assumed she would explain later. They began trudging through the snow back the way they'd come. Felix looked around. The snow was falling heavily. As they passed the frozen river, Felix saw several small Proxian children skating on the ice. He smiled, remembering doing the same during the winters in Vale.

Vale... He recalled an occasion when Jenna had fallen on the ice and was having trouble getting back up. Felix had attempted to come to the rescue, but he fell as well and landed right on his backside. He'd sat there, paralyzed with pain for a minute while Jenna had pointed and laughed. He then threw a snowball at her. She then retaliated. The fight which followed had lasted a long time, and by the time they were making their way back to the house, the two were so cold that they were hugging each other very tightly for warmth.

What was Jenna doing now? Surely she was living with their grandparents. It was more than a relief that she had friends like Garet and Isaac to comfort her. He wondered if she was still keeping up with lessons with Kraden. She'd always been so enthusiastic about learning from Kraden, but had never had the patience to meditate in order to learn Psynergy. Felix had always been grateful for this, for he knew he wouldn't be able stand it if his baby sister could Cast before him.

He and Karst were leaving the village now, and Felix could feel his excitement growing.

"Let me explain some things while we're on the way. We have excellent records of our civilization that have spanned hundreds of years. I've looked at them myself. Since the year Alchemy was Sealed, anyone can see a decline in everything we kept records on-population, for instance," she said.

"It seems like you've spent a lot of time researching," Felix pointed out. He did not expect for Karst to then snap:

"When your people suspect that they're going to be extinct within a few years and you don't know why, seeking answers seems the best option."

Felix was taken aback by the harshness of her response and couldn't help feeling sorry.

But-

"A few years?" he repeated, bewildered.

"Well, probably sooner, considering the winters grow harsher every year. We had to bury half our village last spring," she replied scornfully.

This chilled Felix. He could not imagine what that must have been like. He had only once experienced someone he knew dying, when Isaac's grandfather had passed. This event now seemed like nothing compared to what Karst had described.

"I'm sorry," was all he could say, but he was sincere.

Karst took a deep, shaking breath.

"Anyway, on the subject of our winters, we also record how high the snow is every year and how long the nighttime is each season. Apparently, before I was born there was still some sunlight during the winter," she said. Felix was dumbstruck. He had never heard of anything like what Karst had just described.

"Do you mean that in your winter, it's always night?" he asked.

Karst, who had been ahead of him during the whole walk, finally stopped and turned to see him.

"You get sunlight during your winters in Vale?" she asked him, shocked. Felix nodded. Karst's mouth fell open.

"Does it snow, where you are from?" she asked him. The look on Karst's face told Felix she had never considered the idea of a town never seeing snow.

"Yes, it snows," he told her, "But it doesn't usually get to be this deep." The snow was up to his knees. For a moment, it seemed all Karst could do was look at him, take in the sight of this person from a seemingly exotic world.

She resumed walking, but this time, they were side by side.

"That's...amazing. This is as little snow as it gets around here-it's summertime, you see. Are there times when you don't have snow or ice where you live?" she demanded.

"Yes," replied Felix, astounded at the way Karst's life was, "It can actually get pretty hot in Vale during the summer."

"Hot?" Karst repeated eagerly. "Hot? As in it's hot outside?"

Felix, humored by Karst's reaction nodded.

"How hot? Like next to a fire hot? Like this? Fume! Was that warm enough?"

"..."

"_Felix, please tell me!"_

"Could you not Cast in front of me? It makes me feel inferior."

"_You can't Cast yet?..._How many people in Vale can_?_"

And so the conversation went on as they made their way north. Eventually, Felix told Karst all about Vale's summertime, and the number of Adepts in Vale. Karst listened intently and often interrupted him with more questions or requests for more detailed descriptions, especially about what Venus Psynergy looked like. Through these questions, Felix was coming to realize more and more how different life was in Prox. He could not believe what it was like to live in such a harsh environment as the Northern Reaches. He'd thought that he had been getting the brunt of it, but apparently this, the cold and the high snow, was the best the climate could offer. As he and Karst continued their back and forth, he couldn't help but sense that he was becoming more complaisant, in spite of the resentment towards her that he'd felt earlier. What surprised him was that he was not bothered by it.

Finally, Felix thought he understood Prox's motives better.

"Karst, do I have this right? Your village wants the elemental stars so you can light Mars Lighthouse and warm the Northern Reaches?" he questioned. Karst almost looked insulted.

"No," she said, "We don't want to just light Mars. We have to light them all because of Gaia Rift."

They were walking past Mars Lighthouse. Felix could now see some cliffs to the easty. He pointed to them and was about to ask Karst if they were part of Gaia Rift, but Karst shook her head.

To the north, the sky was sinister. Thick, black clouds glided through the air, and it was so dark up ahead that Felix could not see past a certain point. Karst pointed to this, her enthusiasm and energy from moments ago now completely vanished.

"That is Gaia Rift."

Felix could see a flash of lightning in the clouds, though it was unlike any lightning he had ever seen. It twisted and writhed, then vanished into the darkness. There was a rumble of thunder.

"We should stop here, to be safe," said Karst. They halted in their tracks. There was silence for a moment as they beheld the awesome and terrifying sight.

"You can't see it from here, but there's a steep cliff up ahead," explained Karst. Her tone was dry and mellow.

"What lies beyond it?" wondered Felix.

"Beyond it lies nothing," answered Karst. Her eyes were filled with fear. Felix stared at the rift. It was unfathomable. It was impossible. It was..._evil_.

Karst smiled humorlessly.

"The cliffs come closer every year. The ground is being eroded away," she said hollowly. She looked at him.

"You see," she said, "The four elements compose everything in existence. Alchemy ensured the constant flow of the elements. Now that it's sealed away, the land shrivels and dies. Mars Lighthouse will be swallowed soon...and Prox will soon follow." Felix was finally grasped that to Karst, she was staring at what she saw as doom. This dark cloud was chasing her village, and he now was beginning to truly understand the desperation of the Proxians.

She suddenly grabbed his arm very firmly and looked him square in the face.

"Do you understand now?" she urged. He looked at her face, and Felix could tell that Karst would not be patient with him. But now that she had shown him what her village feared, he felt he understood Saturos and Menardi's motives.

"Yes," he answered solemnly. Karst let go of his arm and turned around. She motioned with her hand.

"Now that you do," she said, "I will take you into Mars Lighthouse."

She started walking away, but Felix called her name, and she halted.

"I still will not forgive Saturos and Menardi," he warned. Karst said nothing, and motioned for him to follow her. He paused, but then obeyed.

They made their way around the wall and up the steps. Felix felt uncomfortable, considering what he had been thinking on these steps during his last visit. Up the stairs and against the wall were two white marble statues of serpent-like dragons, frozen in a ready-to-strike position. Felix and Karst halted in front of the statues. Karst blinked at them.

"I've never been this far before... I'm going to open the Lighthouse for the first time," said Karst slowly. There was a moment of silence as her rose-colored eyes took in the sight of the statues. Felix watched her. He was beginning to twitch with anticipation, but he didn't want to interrupt her moment. He had no idea what was going to happen next and Felix was dying to see what Karst was going to do.  
She grinned. Her eyes narrowed. Her blue aura swirled and she pointed her staff at the statues.

"You should look away, because what I'm about to do will make you envy me," she teased, "Blast!"

Felix watched with fascination as an explosive blast erupted into existence. He expected it to shatter the statues, but when the smoke cleared, they were still standing. Their ruby-encrusted eyes flashed and there was a rumble as they parted to reveal a door. He looked at Karst, who grinned at him. He grinned back, and they headed inside.

It was dark. Felix heard Karst drop something and curse.

"Fume," she grunted, and a fire ignited. Felix could now see that Karst had pulled out one of the logs of firewood from her arm and set it on fire as a crude torch. She handed it to him.

"I dropped the other one on my foot," she complained, and bent down to retrieve it. "Fume!" Now they both had sources of light.

"I should've brought the staff you had this morning to burn for light," she scolded herself, "It would have given us more time to look around because it's longer."

Felix peered around. The walls were made of chipped pink stones with and patterned with rocks inserted that looked lime limestone. All around was ice. The floor was covered with ice, and beneath he could see the floor was made of green copper. Chunks of ice protruded from the floor. Though the interior of Mars Lighthouse was a little disappointing at first and lacking in the ornate, ruby-encrusted carvings he had expected, Felix was amazed. He looked to Karst to see her reaction. She was drinking in her surroundings in a silent fascination so intense that Felix was somehow a little frightened. He couldn't help noting that her eyes caught the light of the fire in a pretty sort of way. She turned her head to look at him, and Felix felt nervous.

"Let's go deeper," she suggested hungrily.

They stepped carefully, trying not to slide on the ice. They walked about twenty or thirty paces until they both stumbled and grabbed each other for support. Felix dropped his torch and Karst dropped her staff. Felix froze, his heart thumping, and he felt Karst's hand twitch. Before he could think of what to do, there was an ominous scuttling noise. Karst, still holding onto Felix, instinctively held out her torch to search for the source of the noise. He couldn't be entirely too sure, but Felix thought he saw a dark shape move halfway across the room through the chunks of ice.

He swallowed and gripped the staff he was carrying tightly, then considered that he was terrible at fighting with staffs. He wondered if he should reach for his kitchen knife. He looked down to see that his torch had gone out. Great.

"Felix," hissed Karst, "I think we need to put out the torches."

"Then put yours out," Felix whispered back very quietly, looking around for any signs of movement.

Karst, clearly vexed, shook her head.

"We have to get out of here. We need a light to see the door," uttered Karst breathlessly. Felix looked behind them. It wasn't a straight path to the door; there were chunks of ice in the way. _Shit._ He was about to suggest they make a run for it and hope for the best, but suddenly there was a scittering noise. Something giant with several pairs of legs by the sound of it was headed right for them. He turned to see what it was, but just as he turned his head, Karst extinguished the fire, tightened her grip on Felix, and ran as fast as she could, dragging him along in the dark. They were both slipping and sliding on the ice. The many-legged thing in the darkness was scuttling after them. Felix was chillingly certain he could hear rattling breaths.

Suddenly, he felt his body pitch forward and hit something cold and hard. He'd slipped in the dark and was lying face down on the ice. The wind was knocked out of him; he was trying to catch his breath and get up, but he kept slipping on the ice. Karst's hand had left his arm. Felix was panicking.  
"Karst!" he cried desperately. About ten paces behind him, there was a horrible clicking noise. He reached for his knife, but couldn't find it. He braced himself for what was going to happen next. He heart was thudding against his chest.  
There was a blaze of light and Karst was running at him as fast as she could. She was holding her beautiful staff made of dark wood, which she had set on fire. Her eyes were fixed on him with a fierce determination. She slid on the ice a few times, but managed to keep on track. Felix was transfixed.

Without warning, Felix felt two mandibles drive into his leg. He screamed in agony. Excruciating, white hot pain coursed from his leg and through his body. He could feel his flesh tearing.  
Karst let out a cry. She was only seconds too late. She thrust the flaming staff straight into where the creature's head probably was (Felix was in too much pain and he was much too afraid to turn to see the monster). Her blue energy aura swirled as she Cast several Mars Psynergies, which lit up the entire room. Felix's leg was now singed from being so close to all of that fire.  
The creature screamed, and a savage look of enjoyment appeared on Karst's face. She dropped the staff, hoisted Felix up, and made way for the door. Felix was slipping worse than ever because his right leg wasn't working. His face was running with tears from the blinding pain. It felt like two deep holes had been bored into him. The wound burned and stung, and felt like it was enlarging. He was trying very hard not to imagine what his leg looked like. Never in his life had he experienced so much pain.  
Fires from Karst's Mars Psynergy were still burning and the melting ice all over the room reflected the light, doubling the illumination. Karst showed no frustration with Felix's trouble running; she kept right on tugging him out the door, and then continued for about forty paces across the tundra. Finally, she stopped to catch her breath. They both dropped to the ground, exhausted. Felix was lying on his back. He was gazing at the gray sky. His face was very cold because of the tears he'd shed from the pain. He wished very badly to fall unconscious and end the agony.

Karst's face was suddenly above his.  
"Felix," she said urgently, "Do you think you can make it to the village?"  
For a moment, he couldn't answer, partly because his leg had started throbbing unbearably and partly because he was unexpectedly warmed by the sight of her face so close to his. Her face was flushed pink from all of the running and excitement and her magenta hair was messy. Strands of it had fallen over her face and were gently touching his. Her breath was fog.  
"Felix?" she repeated, alarmed.  
"Yeah, I think so," he said, and everything went black.  
...

IOE: Mars Lighthouse was way more fun to write the second time around! I feel like I have to explain this before anyone points out that I make Felix out to be weak: Karst has had way more combat training than Felix. Also, if you were bitten by a giant beetle, you would cry, too. And by the by, the beetle is still alive, but that's not significant. Please, please, please review! I want nothing more than to improve by knowing what's wonky, what needs fixing like a dog needs love, and what I'm doing right. 


	4. Chapter 4

IOE: So, I decided to add another chapter. Wow, look how the timeline jumps around. I figured I would add this before feelings really develop between the two as a reminder of what is to come. This chapter didn't take that long, but it was really hard to figure out _how_ I was going to do it. This is most of the legit GS2 dialogue.

Disclaimer: I don't own Golden Sun.

The morning was cool and it was drizzling.

"Thank you, Mr. Mayor," said Kraden as the mayor of Madra re-entered the house.

"...Felix?"

The group looked. There she was, completely transformed. She now exuded an aggressive aura. She was no longer the self-possessed, young girl from Prox. She was tough and cold. She wore leather and metal now. A large, iron choker around her neck was held by chains. A shredded, red cape was held up by these chains. She wore a metal breastplate with the symbol of Mars emblazoned on it over a leather, sleeveless top which displayed her scaled shoulders. Her leather skirt was decorated with patterns from her tribe, and studded at the bottom. The most threatening part of her appearance was the gleaming steel scythe she held.

"You...he just called you Felix, didn't he?" she asked Felix. Her voice was of a lower quality than before, and much more throaty. She looked him up and down.

"Why didn't I see it before? You are Felix," she said softly. The rest of the group looked to Felix, completely at a loss as to what was going on.

"Then Menardi should be somewhere around here, too...And yet..."

Her eyes carefully traveled from one face to the next.

"You won't see Menardi or Saturos again. Isaac killed them. They're probably at the bottom of the sea by now..." said Sheba coldly.

"Sheba! Quiet!" exclaimed Jenna, alarmed. Karst glared at Sheba.

"Hmph! I heard that, you wretched little thing!" she snarled, then she looked at Felix, her face suddenly paler. She was gripping her scythe so hard her knuckles turned white.

"Can it be true? Is my sister dead?" she asked him slowly.

Everyone looked to Felix, who gravely nodded. Karst's eyes widened. She stared at him for a moment, completely shocked.

_"_I can't believe it," she said after a moment, "No one has the power to defeat Saturos and my sister..."

She looked at them all, questioning, but they shifted uncomfortably and stared at their feet, uncertain as to what they should tell her.

"Yet you all avoid my gaze...And that look on your faces...It...is true..." she concluded.

Felix's group looked at each other, wondering what they should do. Suddenly, Karst thrust her scythe into the ground in her fury.

"Who is this Isaac?" she demanded.

They would not answer. They could only stare at the ferocious woman with scaly shoulders and the scythe shoved deeply into the mud.

"What? You feign ignorance? Why? Would you protect him from my fury!" she roared.

Jenna swallowed, clearly frightened for Isaac. Sheba could only stare defiantly at Karst. Felix was impassive. Karst seemed to recompose herself.

**"**Never mind. I believe I've heard some rumors of a traveler named Isaac lately," she said. Karst turned towards the entrance to Madra. 

"If that is the case," she said slowly, "Then this Isaac should show up here sooner or later."

"How do you know it wasn't Felix who defeated your sister?" Kraden piped up. Felix looked at Kraden warily, then slowly turned back to Karst, who scoffed.

"What do you take me for? I'm a warrior, like my sister...I can gauge a man's strength at a single glance. Even if you doubled Felix's power, he would still be no match for my sister," she said casually, watching Felix for a reaction. He would not give one. The others, however, glared at Karst. She shook her head.

"And besides," she smirked, "I doubt Felix could bring it in himself to betray my sister. He knows the lives of those he holds dear hang in the balance."

Felix swallowed. Karst was looking at him, but he would not meet her eye.

"But I must congratulate you on your successes at the Mercury and Venus lighthouses," she complimented.

Their eyes met. There was silence, and then Karst shook her head and looked to the rest of his group.

"Although," she said, "Your success there now prevents us from returning to the Western Sea. You would have failed, of course, had we not researched how to climb those lighthouses..."

Felix's group looked surprised.

"Oh? Didn't Menardi tell you?" asked Karst, smirking.

"Regardless," she said, flicking a bang out of her face, "Isaac won't be getting in my way."

Karst looked to the entrance to town again, as if thinking she would see Isaac this time. She turned back to them. Jenna clenched her fists, but Felix put a hand on her shoulder.

"You will have to find your own way to the Western Sea. _And_," she added, "if you make the journey, you'll have to light Jupiter on your own as well! We have our own work to do, and number one on the list is taking care of Isaac. _Are we clear on this, Felix?_"

Jenna looked at Felix anxiously. Felix hesitated, then slowly nodded. Jenna gaped at him. At this, Karst's lip curled.

"Aren't you an obedient boy..."

Sheba gave Karst a filthy look.

"_I'm going to find this Isaac_... And I _swear_ that the _last thing he sees_ will be Karst avenging the death of her dear sister!" Karst declared fiercely, and, with one last malicious look at all of them, she stormed out of the town.

IOE: Dun dun dun! It was really hard trying not to get into people's heads too much. I gotta say, though, it's really nice having the dialogue and some of the actions already done for you. Please review!


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